Automatic gate for elevators



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. (Mew J. M. CALDWELL.

AUTOMATIC GATE FOR ELEVATORS.

No. 389,363. Patented Sept. .11, 1888.

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AUTOMATIC GATE FOR ELEVATORS. No. 389,363. Patented Sept. 11, 1888...

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UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

JOHN M. GALDlVELL, OF ALLEGHENY ClTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATSC GATE FOR ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,363, dated September 11, 1888.

Application filed March 24, 1888. Serial No. 268,367. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN M. CALDWELL, of Allegheny City, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Safety-Gate for Elevator Shafts, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to safety-gates for the doorways of elevator-shafts, and has for its obr ject to provide a simple and effective apparatus by means of which a gate closing the opening to a hatchway will be automatically opened and closed by the elevator.

The invention will be set forth in the following description, and pointed out in claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 illustrates the invention in operative position with the gate open. Fig. 2 is a front view thereof. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line so a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a View of a modification with parts broken away. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a portion of the operating mechanism with part broken away, and Fig. 6 is a view of another modification.

1 indicates a sliding gate or door extending across the opening to a hatchway and mounted in grooved ways 2 of the hatchway frame-work 3. The door or gate 1 is suspended by a rope, 4., from the end of a lever, 5, pivoted to the frame-work 3, and connected by a cord, 6,passing over pulleys 7 8 on the frame-work 3, to the upper end of a bar, 9, pivoted to a crosspiece, 10, of the frame-work. The bar 9 is provided at its ends with pairs of friction-rollers, 11, which engage the projecting edge of an inclined guide-strip, 12, on the elevator 13 as the latter moves up or down in front of the gate-opening or doorway.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: XVhen the gate 1 is closed,the bar 9 is inclined toward the door-opening, with its upper end adjacent thereto and held in that position by the weight of the gate. Upon the elevator 13 approaching the gate opening from above or below the upper or lower end, respectively, of the projecting edge of strip 12 enters between a pair of rollers, 11, and swings the bar 9, thereby moving its upper end away from the gate-opening, drawing on cord 6, and raising gate 1. Upon the elevator 13 moving away from the gate-opening, either up or down, the upper end of the bar 9 is moved by the strip 12 passing between one of the pairs of rollers 11 toward the gate-opening, thereby permitting the gate 1 to close. The normal position of the bar 9 is such that the rollers 11 will always be in position to be engaged by the inclined strip 12.

In Fig. 4 is shown a modification in which the. lever 5 is dispensed with and the cord 6 secured at one end to frame-work 3, then pass ing over one of the rollers 11,which is grooved 6 to form a pulley, then back to frame-work 3 and up over pulleys 14 15, across the side of the frame-work, over pulley 16 17, and down to a tilting gate, 18, to which it is secured. The operation of opening and closing the gate with this arrangement of cord and pulleys will be the same as in the arrangement already de scribed.

In the modification in Fig. 6, instead of the inclined guide-strip 12, an inclined guidegroove, 19, may be einp1oyed,consisting of the laterally-extending strips 20, mounted on the elevator 13 and having a curved end, 21, at each end of the groove 19. The oscillating bar 9 is provided with only a single roller, 11, at each end, which engages the groove 19 in the ascent or descent of the elevator. By means of the curved ends 21 one or other of the rollers 11 is readily guided into and re leased from the groove 19 in the movement of 85 the elevator.

By means of this invention there will be no danger of the opening to the elvator-shaft being left unclosed, and the gate will always be automatically closed or opened by the elevao tor in an easy and effective manner.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with an elevator pro- 95 vided with an inclined guide, of a gate, a centrally-pivoted bar having a lateral projection at each end adapted to be engaged alternately by the inclined guide to incline the said bar toward or from the gate-opening, and connec- 10o tions between the said bar and gate, substautially as described.

2. The combination, with an elevator provided with an inclined guide, of a verticallysliding gate, a pivoted lever having its free end connected to the gate, a centrally-pivoted bar having lateral projections at each end adapted to be alternately engaged by the inclined guide of the elevator, and aconnection between the said bar and lever, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with vertically-sliding gate 1, of lever 5, pivoted to frame-work 3 and connected by cord 4 with gate 1, bar 9, with friction-rollers 11 at its ends and pivoted to cross-strip 10,and cord 6, passing over pulleys 7 8 and connected at one end to lever 5 and at its other end to the upper end of bar 9, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN M. CALDWELL.

Witnesses:

JOHN S. KENNEDY, JAMES T. CALDWELL. 

